Ryan Nicol
As Jason Pizzo and Daphne Campbell face off for the de facto general election race on Aug. 28, Pizzo earns the advantage when it comes to cash on hand to close out the contest. That’s according to the most recent filings with the Florida Division of Elections.
The pair of Democrats are the only candidates filed to run in the race for the Senate District 38 seat, currently held by Campbell. That means the winner of the primary will determine who is holding this seat next session.
Pizzo maintains more than $50,000 cash on hand himself, with another few thousand available in a pair of committees associated with his campaign.
Campbell, meanwhile, has just over $3,000 available in her campaign. An associated committee, Millennials for Change PC, has spent more money than it’s taken in.
Looking at the most recently reported fundraising period, from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, Pizzo’s campaign took in $2,115 in outside contributions, with Pizzo chipping in another $20,000 in self-funding.
Much of that $2,115 was made up of contributions from individuals. Another $1,000 came from a group called the Florida Laborers Political Committee. All-in-all, Pizzo has raised more than $123,000 in outside contributions while adding a total of $320,000 of loans to his campaign.
Pizzo spent nearly $17,000 during the last reporting period. More than $8,400 of that went to a direct mail campaign. Another $5,000 was spent on voter outreach. Pizzo’s campaign has put nearly $400,000 into this race throughout the cycle.
New Leadership for Florida, an associated committee, was quiet during the Aug. 4 to Aug. 10 period. The organization took in no money and spent just $10,000 in a contribution to another committee. To date, the group has brought in just under $230,000 while spending just over $228,000.
Protecting Coastal Communities PAC, the second committee associated with Pizzo’s campaign, had no reported activity in the most recent period. Overall, that committee has brought in $24,500 while spending $21,000.
As for Campbell, she took in just over $7,800 in the last period. A little less than $1,500 of that came from individual donors. The NFIB chipped in $1,000. The Florida Internet and Television Association added another $500. Another $3,000 came from various corporations, including some from the farming industry.
Campbell burned through just over $6,500 during the same period, mostly on campaign staff and canvassing.
Overall, Campbell has raised more than $135,000 while spending more than $132,000 of that.
Millennials for Change PC dropped $10,000 last period on consulting. It has raised just over $120,000 but has spent nearly $123,000.
That leaves Campbell with a net of a few hundred dollars for the close of the campaign, while Pizzo has just over $55,000 available between his campaign and the above-mentioned committees.
A new poll also showed Pizzo with a double-digit lead over Campbell. He led the incumbent 40 percent to 26 percent, with 34 percent still undecided.
